In Gansbaai, the largest white shark ever caught was at Danger Point and measured up to 5.9m. The exact world record white shark is a contested issue, but chances are it is between 6-7m.

If you see a white shark in the water don’t panic. Chances are high that the shark has already detected you and isn’t interested. White shark attacks are normally associated with poor visibility, so avoid murky conditions.

White sharks have a unique system called a “counter current heat exchange”, which keeps their body tempreture +/- 7C above the surrounding water temperature.

All sharks have an incredibly unique system on the tip of their nose called the “ampillae of Lorenzini”. These are small pores filled with a gel that transmits the electrical currents in the water to the shark’s brain so that it can assess its environment.

White sharks give birth to live young (not eggs), and they give birth to 6-8 pups at one time. Pups are usually between 1.0-1.5m in length and are born with teeth.

Body language has been a well documented form of shark communication and has identified body arching, jaw gaping, and other postures as specific social tactics.

Sharkwatch SA Blog

Daily trip 21 Feb 2012

Author: Nicola Stelluto (Environmental Ecologist)My initial love for the environment occurred at a young age when my father and I use to watch animal documentaries on Sunday evenings. I was hooked on anything ocean related when I saw these amazing submersibles going to such extreme depth in the ocean and discovering previously unseen things. To be the first to go somewhere where no one has been before was the first thing that attracted me to the field of natural sciences.

Guest comment: “Great experience! The staff was great and very friendly. Thank you all. I will never forget it!” Andrew Solow!

An amazing sighting today! We were fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of the infamous “Slash Fin”! This large 4.2 meter shark is the reason why our shark boat is named Slash Fin! He has really grown very large over the years and it was great to see him today. There were some big swells at times today, which caused some of our passengers to suffer from “motion distress”! Luckily the crew was there to help them get over their little problems and plunge them into the cage where their minds could be kept busy by majestic sharks! It was great to have a dolphin sighting again today, they are very playful creatures! Our gannet population was out in full force today where they had found a school of fish that were easy pickings off the coast of Dyer Island! Great stuff...

For more shark facts and shark updates, also "Like" our Marine Dynamics facebook fan page. If you would like to review your trip online to help others choose the right cage diving company, please visit our TripAdvisor page and leave your feedback.

Shark Science

"Great White Sharks have a sixth sense, their eyes are blue and they each have personalities"

If you want to know more then like us on Facebook and stay updated with our Weekly Shark Update.

Shark Tweople on Twitter

What would a great white shark say on twitter? @MarineDynamics Just had a 15kg tuna, delicious! or perhaps @YellowFinTuna IM COMING TO GET YOU!!!

Did you know: Great White Sharks use body language to communicate. As far as we know, white sharks do not produce noises, other than slapping their jaws. Body language has been a well documented form of communication and has identified body arching, jaw gaping, and other postures as specific social tactics.